During the harvest of crops and forage, harvesting machines frequently pick up and ingest rocks and other foreign matter. The rocks and foreign matter ingested by the harvesting machine damage the crop handling mechanisms of the harvesting machine. As a result, many harvesting machines, such as combines, include devices for detecting and separating the rocks and foreign matter from the crops and forage. The separated rocks and foreign matter collect within a rock trap sump for later discharge and disposal.
Conventional rock trap sumps include a cavity or chamber for storing the separated rocks and foreign matter and a door for emptying the rocks and foreign matter from the chamber. The door is typically hinged adjacent to a rock trap sump opening and pivots to open and close the opening. During the collection of rocks and foreign matter within the chamber, a door latch independently supported adjacent and below the rock trap sump engages and supports the door in a closed position. To empty the chamber, the door latch is actuated to release the door, thereby permitting the door to fall open for the discharge of rocks and foreign matter.
Although simple in construction, conventional rock trap sump assemblies are time consuming and difficult to empty. Because the door and the handle of the latch are located low on the machine beneath the rock trap sump, the door is difficult to open and close. Moreover, because the handle merely controls the engagement and disengagement of the latch with the door, the operator has no control over the position of the door other than to physically grab the door and position the door by hand. Consequently, emptying the rock trap sump can be tedious and time consuming.